After struggling through the Great Depression, Yep's family moved to a multicultural but predominantly African American neighborhood.
[1] Yep grew up working in the family grocery store, where he recalls learning early on "how to observe and listen to people, how to relate to others.
He spent his early childhood commuting from his neighborhood to a Catholic school in Chinatown for Chinese children, where he was often made fun of by the mostly bilingual students for only knowing how to speak English.
His English teacher, a Jesuit priest, motivated him to submit his story to magazines until it got published if he wanted to get an A grade.
[5] Growing up, Yep often felt torn between mainstream American culture and his Chinese roots, a theme he has often written about.
[5] Yep's most notable collection of works is the Golden Mountain Chronicles, documenting the fictional Young family from 1849 in China to 1995 in America.
(The Rainbow People, Yep's collection of short stories based on Chinese folktales and legends, was a Horn Book runner-up in 1989.
[11] In March 2019, Paramount Pictures announced an animated film adaptation of the book with a script by Magee and a release date of February 2, 2024.